Microsoft Advertising’s Holiday Marketing Guide

Everyone who works in advertising knows that Christmas begins in August. However, recently, Microsoft has released its guide to holiday marketing and it is incredibly useful. Aimed at helping PPC experts devise impactful, festive-themed advertising strategies, the Microsoft holiday marketing guide is the ultimate playbook for marketers this Christmas.

Covering a range of topics aimed at helping teams of varying abilities, the Microsoft holiday marketing guide has been launched with ever evolving customer behaviours in mind as we approach the festive season.

So, we thought it would be a good idea to take a closer look at Microsoft’s holiday marketing guide and extrapolate the most useful pieces of information.

Microsoft Advertising Holiday Marketing Guide: Early Planning and Budgeting

One of the most important things the Microsoft holiday marketing guide emphasises is the benefit of early planning and clever budgeting.

Insights from previous years show that brands experienced a significant increase in purchases during the autumn months, which shows that shoppers are making purchases earlier than ever before.

With this in mind, it’s advisable that brands should plan their budget for September and October similar to how they would in November and December, when most marketers think to leverage the festive season.

October Clicks are Key

Microsoft’s playbook underscores the importance of October and the vital role it plays in converting holiday shoppers early.

According to experts, on average 67% of purchases in November, and 50% in December, could be traced back to clicks made in October. Therefore, Microsoft recommends investing in remarketing tools to re-target potential customers who showed tentative interest only a few months previously.

Microsoft Advertising Holiday Marketing Guide: Seek Deals and They Will Come

A trend is on the rise in which more and more customers are taking the time to seek out the best deals, with two-thirds of shoppers admitting to spending a considerable amount of time searching for discounted products.

Therefore, if you want your ads to reach more shoppers, it’s wise to incentivise your products in some way, be that a voucher or a discounted price.

Diversity your Ad Strategies

There are numerous benefits to diversifying ad strategies, and Microsoft’s holiday marketing guide agrees. With clicks coming from numerous devices such as mobile phones, tablets and desktops, it’s hugely important not to feel wedded to one specific type of campaign.

In order to achieve the results you desire in terms of ROI this Christmas, best practice would be to adopt a multi-channel approach to reach consumers across a variety of platforms.

Microsoft Advertising Holiday Marketing Guide: Why Now is Peak Engagement Time

Not just for those who are running Microsoft Ads, but for everyone including PPC specialists, Google Ads experts and SME business owners, October is the peak time to launch – and in the best case scenarios – ramp up seasonal ad campaigns.

October brings new colours and new beginnings; but it is also the month where shoppers begin making Christmas lists and checking their favourite brands’ websites over and over again.

So, now is the time to amplify your ad strategy, launch your campaign and immediately get to work on building your customer base with November and December in mind.

PPC Geeks – Microsoft Advertising Authorities

We pride ourselves on what we achieve for our clients daily, be that significant results or helping them to implement their seasonal campaigns in order to maximise their impact. Contact PPC Geeks to see how we can help you focus your Christmas campaigns before the big event.

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